On The Run
by OhJay
Summary: Sequel to Reunion. Now that the military know the Elric brothers secrets they must run and hide, but Al's still not sure if he should remain with his brother or go off on his own. T for violence.
1. I Leaving

_**I Leaving**_

April 3rd, 1918

Risembool, Amestris

Winry Rockbell sat at her desk working on the new automail for one of her clients. It wasn't as good as Ed's, but she still worked hard on it. She was in the middle of tightening the screws when the phone rang. It was late, and no one late unless it was important. She sighed as she got up and answered the phone.

"Rockbell Automail, Winry speaking"

"Winry, it's Ed"

He sounded a bit urgent.

"Listen, Al and I are gonna be out of town for a while"

"Ed you're scaring me, what's wrong?"

"It's the military;they found out about our human transmutation"

She gasped.

"Mustang warned us to get out while we can. If they come looking for us in Risembool I need you and Pinako to pretend like you don't know anything"

"Alright"

"I love you Winry"

Then he hung up leaving Winry alone and worried.

"I love you too Ed" she said softly.

She knew he couldn't hear him, but she still wanted to say it.

Central, Amestris

Ed sighed as he hung up the phone.

"I should've just stayed in Germany" he said to himself.

He put on his coat and made sure he had everything he needed in his suitcase.

"You ready to go Al?"

"Just a sec"

He heard the sound of the toilet flushing and the sink being turned on and he chuckled. Then Al came in with his coat on and suit case in hand.

"Alright then let's go"

Both of them had withdrawn enough money to get them by for a few months earlier, and they had decided to leave now instead of early the next morning. They went to the train station and brought two tickets to Dublinth no questions asked. As the train slowly pulled away from the station Ed sighed as he gazed out the window.

"Here we go again"

_**Author's Notes**_

The chapters will get longer I promise. Just so you guys know I'm sticking with my three reviews until an update policy, and I've got some nice cliffhangers to torture you with, so if I were you I'd review a few times.


	2. II Wanted

_**II Wanted**_

April 4th, 1918

Risembool, Amestris

"I told you, I don't know anything!"

As Ed predicted Military soldiers had shown up in Risembool asking about the Elric brothers and saying that they found evidence that they committed the greatest taboo of alchemy.

"Edward came here with his limbs missing asking for automail and his brother in a suit of armor and you didn't ask what happened?"

"It's rude to ask the clients, it brings up bad memories for them"

"Sir it's no use, she's not going to tell us anything"

He sighed.

"I suppose you're right"

The soldiers left and Winry slammed the door shut. She sighed from relief glad that that act was over.

"Glad they're outta here. Every time I let a dog in my house nothing good happens" said Pinako.

"I know what you mean granny, I just hope they're safe"

Dublinth, Amestris

Edward and Alphonse Elric sat at the kitchen table at their old teacher's house. Izumi may have been gone, but her husband Sig let them in. They told him what had happened, and he said they could stay and hide for as long as they wanted.

"Did teacher know about me?" Al asked nervously.

"She didn't say anything, but I think she did"

Al lowered his head. So she did know.

"I'm gonna go unpack"

He stood up from his chair and quietly went upstairs.

"It must be hard on you" said Sig.

Ed nodded quietly.

"I just don't know what to do anymore..." he said softly.

Al sat in a corner of the guest room hugging his knees. His head was buried in his arms which were rested on his knees, and anyone who would come walk in would probably assume he was crying.

"Al?"

Al looked up to see Ed standing in the doorway.

"You ok?"

"Brother...Am I a monster?"

"Al don't say that! Of course you're not!"

"But-

"No buts. Just because you're a homunculus doesn't make you a monster, take Wrath for instance"

It was true that Wrath had helped Al, but he had seen how he and Gluttony had fought each other, and Gluttony was definitely a monster.

"I just don't understand how this could've happened" said Al.

"I know..."

"Maybe if I could remember what happened before then-

"That's it!"

Al flinched. He was startled by his brother's sudden excitement, but he had a feeling that he was onto something.

" 'What happened before'. The Philosophers Stone was attached to your soul, so when I opened the gate to get your body back part of it must've merged with you so that's why you can regenerate, and I did try to bring you back..."

"So all we have to do is find a way to reverse the process! Brother you're a genius!"

April 6th, 1918

Dublinth, Amestris

It happened when Sig was watching over the meat shop in the afternoon. A few military officers came in asking about the Elric brothers. Of course he said he hadn't seen them, but then they showed him a search warrant so he had no choice but to let them search as they pleased. Of course he got a bit tense as they went upstairs to the guest room, but a few moments later they came back down.

"They're not here, there's no sign of them ever being in this place either"

"Sorry to bother you then"

Once they were gone Sig went upstairs to see if they were just hiding, but they really were gone.

_**Author's Notes**_

Well this is the chapter where Al's Homunculitis (XD) came from. Ed kind of attempted human transmutation twice so I went with that, but homunculi can only regenerate when they've had some incomplete stones so I came up with this idea. There's some good stuff coming up, so please review.


	3. III Disguises

_**III Disguises**_

"Thanks Sig, we'll try and keep it touch"

Ed hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Looks like I was right. They're looking for us everywhere so we can't stay in one for very long"

"We've got another problem too"

Al reached into his pocket and pulled out two neatly folded pieces of paper.

"I ripped these off a wall" he said as he handed then to Ed.

Ed unfolded them to reveal that they were wanted posters of themselves.

_Great._ He thought.

"Shesh we're wanted alive for one million Cenz each"

"I figured if we know what they were looking for then we could hide better"

"Good ideas"

He handed Al back his own poster then went into the bathroom. They were currently in an abandoned house out in the country a few miles from Dublinth, but they didn't plan on staying for more than a day. Ed was just glad everything still worked and the place was decently clean, which meant it hadn't been empty for long.

_Now then, they're looking for a…Short young man with long blonde hair in a pony tail with golden eyes and an automail arm and leg._

He sighed. He had grown so he was no longer "short", just under average. What he didn't like was the fact that he would probably have to cut and dye his hair. He could transmute some synthetic skin like he used in Germany to cover his automail, but there wasn't anything he could do about his eyes.

He decided to just get it over with so he clapped his hands and brought out his automail blade. With his left hand he held onto his pony tail, then closed his eyes and cut it off with his blade. He opened his eyes as he tossed the clump of hair in the trash can and looked in the mirror.

The front was the same and the back looked like when he had it short when he was younger, but he wasn't done yet. He filled the sink with water, then clapped his hands again and placed them in it. He dipped his now shorter hair into the water, and when he pulled it out he was now a light brunette.

_You gotta love alchemy._

He changed into the clothes he wore in Germany, then transmuted some synthetic skin to cover up his automail. He smiled as he put on a dark brown hat and looked in the mirror: He hardly recognized himself.

"How you doing Al?"

"Come and see for yourself"

Al too had cut off his pony tail and dyed it to a light blonde. He was wearing a short sleeved blue polo shirt with a high collar to hide the mark on his neck (but to be safe he put a band aid over it) and khaki pants.

"Wow, this might actually work pretty well" said Ed.

"You need to do something about your eyes though. They stand out and they're a dead giveaway"

Ed sighed.

_I just HAD to get dad's eyes_

Ed rooted around in his suitcase for a moment then pulled out his reading glasses.

_These will just have to do_

April 7th, 1918

Central, Amestris

"I can assure you sir; I didn't know anything about this"

General Hakuro was in Mustang's office. Since he had been the one to recruit Ed as a State Alchemist in the first place he was often questioned now, but he always gave them lies. He had told Ed he wouldn't stick up for either of them unless it got really bad, but he knew it was going to be that way.

"If we find out you're lying Mustang, then God help you"

With that Hakuro stormed off and Mustang sighed.

"Do you think they're alright sir?" asked Riza.

"They're smart kids, and I believe FullMetal is too stubborn to get caught"

Youswell, Amestris

Ed sneezed as he was walking with Al.

"You ok brother?"

"Yeah it's probably some spring allergies or something"

Al nodded. He hoped neither one of them would get sick, but then again he wasn't sure if homunculi _could_ get sick.

"So what are we back east anyway?"

"I think it's a good idea that we change directions often, plus I wanna test out our disguises. So we'll hang around here for a bit then go west"

"Well that's understandable, but if we're completely changing directions why didn't we head north?"

"I hate the cold"

Al rolled his eyes. Then they reached the town inn that they stayed at all those years ago.

"You remember our names and story if anyone asks?"

"Yep. I'm Matthew Heiderich and you're my cousin Edmund and we're traveling together"

"Alright then, let's go"

The tow 'cousins' walked inside. The place hadn't changed much, but they had kept it in pretty good shape. The place also seemed more lively since Yoki was gone, and people didn't stare at them so that was a good sign.

"Hey dad looks like we got some new comers!"

Ed looked up. It was Kyle, and he was now in his late teens. They were about the same age so that was expected, but he had really grown up. Ed almost walked up to him and said "Hi Kyle" but then he remembered why they were here in the first place.

"You boys looking for a room?" asked Halling.

"If you've got one for us" said Ed.

"It's 5,000 Cenz a night, meals included"

_Cheaper than it used to be that's for sure._

Ed took out his wallet and paid him enough for two nights. Then they were shown to a room.

"Looks like it's working" said Ed when they were alone.

"Let's not jump the gun brother"

Dinnertime came so Ed and Al joined the other guests downstairs. They engaged in small talk until the sound of glass shattering got everyone quiet.

"Oh not again"

Apparently Halling's wife had broken her precious vase again.

"I can fix it!" said Ed and Al in unison.

They looked at each other and chuckled.

"You go ahead" said Al.

Ed nodded and took a piece of chalk out of his pocket. How long had it been since he _had_ to draw a transmutation circle? He drew it on the table and a few people around him watched intently. When he was done he set the broken vase on it then placed his hands on the circle. Energy flared around it and once it subsided the vase was good as new. Of course then Ed was swarmed with other people who wanted him to fix their broken stuff, so Al had to help him.

"Sorry about that" said Halling once the crowd was gone.

"We don't get many alchemists around these parts except for those state ones that come to inspect the coal mine" he finished.

"You say it like it's a bad thing" said Ed.

"Well don't get me wrong, most alchemists are good people, but a few years ago we had some trouble with a few military thugs. Then a state alchemist came by and took care of them for us. He was a good kid"

"Sounds like it" said Ed.

Ed smiled. Apparently it was working after all.

_**Author's Notes**_

Well here's the next chapter for you guys. I got tired of waiting for reviews and I know you guys wanted and update so I decided to play nice and give it to you. **HOWEVER I AM NOT UPDATING AGAIN UNTIL I GET THREE MORE REVIEWS!** This is the last of the set up stuff so don't worry the good stuff is coming really soon. Don't get me wrong I like Ed with his long hair (that's why he hesitated to cut it off) so he'll grow it back later. Also if you're wondering Halling and Kyle are the people in episode 8 (It might be nine, I'm not sure) when Ed and Al go to Youswell. Well please review.


	4. IV Close Call

_**IV Close Call**_

April 9th, 1918

Youswell, Amestris

The day came when the Elric brothers decided to leave town. It was going rather well for them, but they knew they had to keep moving. So they packed their things and headed down stairs to check out.

"You boys heading out?" asked Halling.

"Yeah, thanks for letting us stay here"

They were about to walk out the front door, but it swung open and a few military officers came in. Everyone in the room got pretty quiet, and things got tense.

"Is there a problem officers?" asked Halling sternly.

"We're just looking for two fugitives"

He held up the wanted posters of Ed and Al for everyone to see.

"Well I haven't seen them, and I don't want any trouble here either"

The officer scanned the room and landed his gaze on Ed and Al. Ed stayed as calm as he could, but his mind told him to grab Al and run.

"Where you boys headed?"

"Lior" Ed lied. "We're meeting up with some family"

"Is he your brother?" he asked pointing to Al.

"I'm an only child, he's my cousin"

The officer looked Ed right in the eye. Ed could tell he was about to be recognized so he did the first thing that came to mind: He swung his leg out tripping the officer then grabbed Al's hand and ran out the door.

"After them! They're the Elric brothers!"

Ed was glad they had chose to leave at night otherwise they would have been chased down and caught in no time. There weren't many street lights either so that gave them more cover. Neither of them said anything as they ran, they just kept going. They kept turning dark corners and alleys hoping to throw them off. Eventually they were out of town and ran into a field for more cover, but Al tripped and fell and a flash light shinned in their faces.

"There they are!"

Ed thought fast. He clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. He transmuted a long 20ft high wall out of the ground that would slow them down. It prevented the soldiers from getting closer, but he knew it wouldn't last long so he grabbed Al's hand again and kept running. They didn't know where to go, and it certainly wasn't smart to go to any nearby towns or train stations.

They ended up in the nearby forest, but they didn't relax. Ed transmuted a tunnel underground then covered the entrance after they were inside. They crawled away from the entrance slowly making air holes as they went, and eventually stopped to rest. Al fell asleep first, and Ed began to drift off until he heard footsteps and voices from above. He didn't relax and fall asleep until minutes after he couldn't hear them anymore, and even then he was still worried. It had been to close for comfort.

_**Author's Notes**_

Wow,I didn't expect to have three reviews so fast, good thing I had this ready XD. Alright here's where it starts heating up. I'm gonna give you a fair warning I'm gonna torture you with a nice juicy cliffhanger soon so you might want to have your reviews ready.


	5. V Caught and Separated

_**V Caught and Separated**_

April 11th, 1918

West City, Amestris

Ed and Al ended up having to stow away on a cargo train to West City. It was a slow moving train so it was easy to jump on, but they didn't get there until early the next morning. Once they got there they checked in to a hotel, took showers, and washed their dirty clothes.

"That was close" Ed said as he collapsed on one of the beds.

"Where are we going next?" asked Al.

"I think we better leave the country, and we should have a way to meet up in case we get separated"

"Yeah, but if one of us gets caught? How will we know?"

"Let's say we do get separated. A day later we'll meet at a big city in the opposite direction. If one of us doesn't show within thirty six hours then assume something's happened"

"So if we got separated in Dublinth then we'd meet in North City?"

"Yeah"

Ed sat up and gave Al a serious look.

"Al, if I get caught I want you to keep running"

"**WHAT?! BUT THEY'LL-**

"I know. But if that happens I want to know that you're safe"

Al knew he couldn't dissuade his brother otherwise, so he just nodded. Later when they went downstairs for lunch they got a bit of a surprise.

"Ed? Is that you?"

Ed blinked. Did his eyes give him away again or did Russell just have a good eye? There wasn't anyone else around, so they sat down to the brothers that had once impersonated him.

"I saw the wanted posters, what did you guys do?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. What gave me away?"

"It's your eyes"

Ed groaned. It _HAD_ to be the one thing he couldn't do anything about.

"Brother who are these guys?" asked Al.

Ed blinked. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Al lost his memory.

"Oh…Right"

He explained who they were, how they had met, and how they had helped each other in the end.

"Oh. I'm sorry I don't remember you guys" Al apologized politely.

"So what are you guys doing around here anyway?" Ed asked.

"More alchemy research" said Russell.

Ed nodded. He was about to ask what kind of research he was doing now, but Fletcher started coughing violently. Russell muttered an "Excuse us" before taking his little brother upstairs to help him. It may just have been nothing, but since Ed had lived with Alfons Heiderich and trained by Izumi Curtis he knew that coughing like that wasn't something like a cold.

So later that day when Al said he needed some fresh air Ed went to talk to Russell. Of course it was then he realized that he didn't know his room number, but he saw him in the hallway.

"Fletcher's really sick isn't he?"

Russell lowered his head.

"Was it because of the red water?"

"I don't know. The doctors said it's some kind of lung disease. There's medicine to help, but it's the expensive kind"

Ed nodded. He wondered if Alfons had something similar, and if there was anything to help him. Ed didn't want to think he was dead by now, but he probably was.

"If there's anything I can do to help let me know"

Russell nodded. They were silent for a minute, then Russell started chuckling. Ed just raised an eyebrow and wondered if he had something on his face.

'I would say you've gotten taller, but I still can't see you very well"

Ed's temple twitched and he glared.

"**I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'VE GROWN HALF A FOOT!"**

"Yes we'll so have, so you're still shrimp. Maybe a jumbo shrimp, but still a shrimp"

Ed huffed then stomped off to his room. A bit later it started to rain and Al came back.

"I'm back"

"You get caught in the rain or something?"

"Yeah"

Then Ed heard a meow from Al's coat as he flinched.

"**AL!"**

"It's just for the night I swear! I found him all cold and wet and the manager said it was ok, I'll take it to the animal shelter in the morning"

Ed blinked. Normally he would be begging to keep it, but this was pretty grown up of him.

"Alright fine, just make sure he doesn't pee or scratch on anything"

Al smiled and his face lit up.

"Thanks brother"

April 12th, 1918

West City, Amestris

The next morning when Ed woke up he found out that both Al and the cat were gone. At first he panicked, but then he found a note on the side table:

_Brother,_

_I took the cat to the animal shelter and just decided to meet you at the train station at noon._

_-Alphonse_

Ed looked at the clock: It was 11:30. He got dressed and packed his things, then pulled out a map of Amestris and the surrounding countries to decide where to go next.

_Let's see now. Drachma's to cold and things aren't that peaceful right now anyway. To get to Xing we'd have to cross that awful desert so that's not gonna happen either. So that leaves Creta and Aerego._

However he didn't get the chance to decide. The door burst open making Ed flinch and get into a fighting stance. A few military soldiers came in with guns, and he recognized one from Youswell.

"That's him!"

Before Ed could do so much as clap his hands tow of the soldiers restrained him and shoved him against the wall. His hands were handcuffed behind his back and one soldier pulled him out into the hall as the others surrounded him.

"Thanks for the tip kid"

Ed's eyes widened. Standing in the hallway was none other than Russell Tringham, and he looked guilty.

"Russell, you…_You_"

Russell looked away from him; he couldn't face him for what he had done.

"**HOW COULD YOU?!"**

"I'm sorry Ed, but it's for Fletcher. You of all people should be able to understand"

Ed lowered his head. He did understand, he would do anything to keep Al from dying if he was in that kind of situation, but he was still mad at him.

"A life doesn't equal another Russell, it doesn't work that way" he said coldly.

Russell's eyes widened. He hadn't known Ed was going to get the death penalty. What had he done?

"I hope you're happy" Ed spat.

Then they took Ed away leaving Russell alone and guilty in the hallway. Ed was quiet, and for once he was glad that Al wasn't with him.

_**Author's Notes**_

**DUN DUN DUNNN!**

I know some of you are probably thinking something like "HOW COULD YOU GET ED CAUGHT!" and some of you probably hate Russell right now too. Well I will tell you it gets better, but not for a while. But hey, I gave you are warning about the updates, so please review. Seriously though, I actually forgot Al was missing his memories twice when I was writing this, so I had to go back and fix it XD FAIL!


	6. VI Trial

_**VI Trial**_

April 12th, 1918

Central, Amestris

Mustang was in his office and doing his paperwork (because Riza was right next to him with her gun) when he heard the news. Furey and Breda burst into his office, then paused to catch their breath.

"Sir-

"What is it Breda? I'm busy here" he said not looking up from his paperwork.

"It's FullMetal, he's been caught!"said Furey

At that Mustang's pen stopped moving and he looked wide eyes not wanting to believe his ears.

West City, Amestris

Around 11:45 Al headed towards the train station. However when he got there he saw there were some soldiers around as well as a bit of a crowd.

"Looks like they caught one of those fugitives they've been looking for" said one.

"To think that they were here right under our noses" said another.

Then he saw it: Ed was being taken on a train that was heading towards Central, and there were soldiers with guns behind him if he tried anything funny. Al took a step forward thinking that he could help him get away, but then he remembered his brother's words: _"Al, if I get caught I want you to keep running". _So he did.

He knew if he suddenly ran away from the crowd he would attract unwanted attention, so he simply walked away from the station. Where would he go? Would Ed be alright? Would he try and get away? Would Mustang pull some strings and help him escape? These were the thoughts that kept going through his mind as he walked. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened. Was it a soldier? Had he been caught too? Should he run? He gulped and slowly turned around.

April 13th, 1918

Central, Amestris

Mustang was quite shocked when he heard the news of Ed's capture, but he soon found out it was true. So he found out which prison he was currently in and went to visit him. Of course no one questioned him doing so since he was one of the higher ups, and he was glad. Once he got to the cell he was in he hardly recognized him. Ed had washed the dye out of his hair, but it was still short, and he still had the fake skin over his automail.

"FullMetal"

Ed looked up. He was in standard prison clothing and had his hands stuck in a block of wood so he couldn't transmute anything. His eyes were still full of fiery energy, but they didn't seem as bright as they used to be.

"Hi General" he said softly.

"What happened?"

"I ran into an old friend in West City. He needed the money so he turned me in"

"And Al?"

"I guess you could say we got separated, so he didn't get caught"

Mustang nodded.

"I heard your trial's tomorrow by the way"

"I'm surprised they're letting me have one"

Ed knew Mustang had probably pulled some strings, but they both knew it probably wouldn't go very well.

"What happened to your automail?"

"It's just fake skin, I thought it would help me hide"

"I'm surprised you cut your hair too"

"I just wish I could do something about my eyes, otherwise I wouldn't be in here"

They were silent for a moment until Ed spoke up again.

"Do you think Winry knows?"

"I don't know, but this kind of news travels fast"

Ed nodded. For her sake he hoped that she wouldn't find out.

April 14th, 1918

Central, Amestris

Ed's trial came, but as predicted it didn't go very well for him. Not only was the evidence that 'Juliet Douglas' was the homunculus of his mother presented, but he was also charged with desertion of the military. This time he couldn't cover for that one because it was actually true, and everyone knew it.

"Mr. Elric, how do you plead?"

"Guilty"

It was the truth, and he couldn't hide it anymore.

"The jury's decision?"

"Guilty"

Ed lowered his head. This was it, all his mistakes had finally caught up with him.

"Guilty as charged, death by firing squad in three days"

The judge banged his gavel on the table and declared court dismissed. Ed's hands were trembling, and a tear ran down his cheek. This was it, he was going to die on his brother's birthday.

_**Author's Notes**_

Alright well I decided to give you guys some more slack and update considering I'm going to torture you later anyway.I don't know exactly when Al's birthday was, but I think it's sometime in April (please correct me if I'm wrong for future stories) and no I didn't forget about Al and I will go back to him later. Please review.


	7. VII Guilty

_**VII Guilty**_

April 15th, 1918

Central, Amestris

After the trial Ed was escorted back to his prison cell. More guards were posted around his cell now as a precaution just in case he tried to break out and run. In the afternoon he got another visit, but this time it wasn't Mustang. It was actually someone from the assembly, the same woman that was glaring at him when he went to see them a few months ago. She looked in her late twenties and had dark brown hair that she wore in a bun. She wore a long black pencil skirt with a matching blazer along with black tights and glasses, and Ed still smelled her strong perfume. When she came to see him she dismissed the guards saying she wanted to talk to him alone.

"Edward Elric"

"What do you want Dante?" he asked coldly.

He didn't even look up at her as he spoke, but he could feel her cold glare on him once again.

"How did you know?"

"Next time you change bodies use a different perfume, but then again this is your last body isn't it? You probably used the last of the stone you had for this one, and it's probably rotting fast"

"It doesn't matter, I'll get to see you die first"

"You're the one who them about our human transmutation aren't you? And then you sent Envy after us too"

"Envy's actions were his own, but yes; I did tell them, secretly of course. Consider this your punishment for ruining my plans"

"So this is what it's about? Revenge? Now I see why my father ditched you"

She glared coldly at him and turned to leave.

"Envy's dead by the way, I killed him myself"

But she ignored him and kept walking.

Mustang sighed. How could things have turned out this way? Ed was going to die, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He may have been a higher up of the military, but this had to do with an old strict law that couldn't be played with. The penalty for human transmutation was always death, that's why he tried his best to keep the brothers secret. It frustrated him greatly. Here he was, as high as in rank as he could get, but he still had to deal with this kind of stuff.

"FullMetal"

He had decided to pay another visit to him. Ed didn't even look up at him this time, he just stayed sitting in the dark corner.

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate perfume?"

Mustang raised an eyebrow. What was he getting at? _Tap tap. _Ed had tapped his finger on the wood that was still holding his hands. Mustang had shared this secret code with his closest subordinates so he tapped his finger back on the wall letting Ed know he was listening.

"When my dad left Al and I could still smell it all over the house, it made me sick"

He paused and sighed.

"I met the sons of Nash Tringham by the way, their nice even though they were the fake Elric brothers once"

Then one of the guards spoke up.

"Sir the change of guards is late-

"Go on, I'll watch over him until they come"

"General, would mind looking after Al for me?"

He nodded.

"I wish I could rescue you from this horrible fate you're faced with. Is there anything you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him I'm sorry I couldn't I couldn't keep my promise, but what he needs to know is in my notebook, he should know where it is"

"I swear on my life I won't let any harm come to him as long as I'm alive"

"Thanks"

Then the new guards showed up and Mustang left. Once he was back in his office he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down _'perfume'_. That was the first clue Ed had given him.

_He also mentioned his dad, Al, Nash Tringham, and Elric._

He gasped as he put the first letters all together: _DANTE_. Then he remembered what he had said in the hallway after he had talked to the assembly:

"_I don't like that woman. She kept staring at me like she wanted to stab me or something, and you can smell her perfume all the way outside"_

He got the message now so he burned the paper with his alchemy and tossed the ashes into the trash. He smirked. If he played his cards right then he might be able to save Ed's life.

_**Author's Notes**_

How's that for a plot twist? As you can see I've been planning this from the beginning, and I did hint about it in chapter 3 of Reunion (I'm sure some of you are going to go back and look for it now XD). It's sad to say there's only three chapters left in this story. I know it's a short one, but it's all I got. However it's not over yet so keep reviewing.


	8. VIII Death Penalty

_**VIII Death Penalty**_

April 17th, 1918

Central, Amestris

When the news of Edward Elric's execution spread rumors started to fly. People began to think that the military wouldn't execute him after all and cover up his 'death'. The news of lab five had spread over the years so more people had begun to question the military. Of course they decided to solve this false rumor problem by making his execution public, but that just made things worse.

Even though he had been gone for two years the reputation of the "Hero of the people" alchemist kept spreading. When he disappeared some people some people believed he was dead so when he came back they rejoiced. Now that they knew he was really going to die they began they began to mourn him already. Quite a few people showed up at the grounds. Some of them were in black and already crying, while others were jeering at the soldiers for sentencing him to death.

Ed was led to the platform with a soldier behind him with a gun, but there were also soldiers lining the path to keep the crowd back and make sure he didn't run. Ed kept his head down as he walked with his hands handcuffed in front of him. He ignored all the shouts and cries around him, he just droned them all out until he heard one specific one call his name.

**"Edward!"**

He looked up to the crowd. Winry had pushed her way through the crowd to get as close to Ed as she could. Ed could tell that she already had tears in her eyes and he hated himself for it. He didn't want her to be here and see him die like this, and he certainly didn't want to make her cry again.

"I love you Winry"

They both reached out to each other and their hands touched for a moment before Ed was shoved forward and Winry was shoved back. Ed continued walking, but looked back at her knowing it would be the last time he did so. He just wished it wouldn't be when she was crying. He wanted to run back to her and kiss her for the last time, to tell her to move forward after this, but once again the soldier behind him shoved him forward.

Once he was on the platform the soldiers removed the handcuffs as they tied him tightly to a pole where he met the cold gaze of the ten soldiers that would shoot him on command. The soldiers double checked the ropes around him then brought out a piece of cloth for a blindfold.

"I don't want it" he said sternly"

"Suit yourself then"

The soldiers left and Ed tried the ropes. They were pretty tight, but he could still clap his hands if he needed to. He didn't plan on trying to escape since he knew there were countless soldiers that probably had the order to shoot him if he tried to get away, but he didn't want to die either.

"**READY!"**

Ed breathed deeply. This was it: He was going to die. He knew he had seconds left, so he looked up at the sky. He still didn't believe in god, but he still wondered if there was an afterlife. Would he go to the gate? Would he be with his parents and everyone else he knew who had died?

"**AIM!"**

Would Al and Winry be alright without him? Would Mustang keep Al safe like he promised? Ed continued to stare up at the clear blue sky and continued with his last thoughts. He heard once that "Alchemists are considered dead when they stop thinking"*, so for him it would be literally.

"**FIRE!"**

Ed didn't flinch or close his eyes as he heard that one word shout out. He thought it would be the last thing he heard, but he was wrong.

"**BROTHER!"**

He gasped when he heard that. Was Al really here or was he hearing things? Then he heard gun shots ring out into the silence.

_**Author's Notes**_

Alright now before he click the green button below and get all **"YOU MURDERER!" **Did I say that Ed was dead yet? No, so before you yell at me and start an angry mob to hunt me down, wait until the next chapter. Now I'm not to happy with it so I have to do some major editing, so even if I do get three reviews right away, I may not have it up right then, so bear with me here.


	9. IX Saved

_**IX Saved**_

April 12th, 1918

West City, Amestris

Al felt a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened. Was it a soldier? Had he been caught too? Should he run? He gulped and slowly turned around, to see Russell behind him. His worry instantly went away and he sighed from relief.

"You scared the life out of me"

"Come on, it's not safe out here"

Russell took his hand and led him back to the hotel. He took him up to the room he and Fletcher were staying then shut the door.

"Brother what happened? Where's Ed?" asked Fletcher.

"I saw some soldiers taking him away"

He couldn't bring himself to tell them that he was the one that turned him in, he already regretted the whole thing.

"Al, what did you guys do?"

Al bit his lip. He trusted these people even though he didn't know them very well, so he figured it would be ok to tell them.

"Human transmutation" he said softly as he lowered his head with guilt.

Russell's eyes widened. He knew how serious that taboo of alchemy was, and was in the military so running away would just make it worse. How could he have turned him in?

"They're probably all over the city looking for you, you can stay with us and hide for as long as you like"

Russell may not have been able to undo what he had done, but he could at least try and make up for it. Al accepted, and he was glad. Later that night Fletcher fell asleep, but Al and Russell couldn't.

"You still awake Al?"

Al had chosen to take the floor with a few blankets and pillows.

"Yeah, I'm worried about brother"

"Ed's automail...did he?-

"Yeah, the failed transmutation took his limbs. We were trying to bring our mom back"

Then Fletcher started coughing again and Russell got up to make sure he was alright. A few moments later he settled down and went back to sleep.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Al asked.

"I don't know"

Russell had the check for the reward money, but now he didn't want to use it.

April 13th, 1918

West City, Amestris

"Brother wake up!"

Once Russell heard Fetcher's voice and that he seemed kind of alarmed he bolted out of bed.

"What is it?!"

"Al's gone!"

Then Russell saw a piece of paper on the side table so he picked it up and read it:

_Dear Russell and Fletcher,_

_Thank you for your kindness, but I don't think I should stay in the same place for very long. Brother said he wanted me to keep running, so I will._

_-Alphonse_

_P.S. Don't worry about Fletcher anymore, I healed him with alchemy last night when you were both asleep so he should be fine now. _

When Ed disappeared Al studied different kinds of alchemy to see if any of it could help in finding him. He had come across medical alchemy and was interested in it so he studied that one a lot. Since he had a philosopher's stone he decided to heal what ever it was that Fletcher had so Russell would stop worrying. Russell smiled as he read the last part of Al's note, and later he burned that check.

Al had decided to go back to Risembool. He had to tell Winry and Pinako what had happened, plus he could hide there for a bit. However on the train he had second thoughts. Part of him was worried about being away from Ed, but part of him was also glad. He wanted to be away from him for the best, so he wouldn't hurt him.

Ever since he had known he was a homunculus the monster inside of him had started to come out. He felt hatred and aggression that he never felt before, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it all in. Then at night when it was really quiet he heard the voices of the souls in the stone crying out. Everything just made his nightmares worse.

April 14th, 1918

Resembool, Amestris

Winry Rockbell sighed as she put down her tools. It had nearly been two weeks since she had heard from Ed and Al, and with each day she was getting more and more worried. She tried to occupy herself with her work, but she had a hard time concentrating. Then she heard a knock at the door. Even though she knew it was probably one of her clients asking for her work, she answered it anyway. It was actually someone she hadn't seen before, but he looked familiar.

"Hi Winry"

Her eyes widened: It was Al.

"Al what are you doing here?! Where's Ed?"

Al walked in and set his suit case down on the floor.

"Brother...Was caught by the military"

April 15th, 1918

Resembool, Amestris

Al ran back to the house as fast as he could. He was just running an errand for Pinako, and when he was in town he heard the news of Ed's public execution in just two days. Once he heard that he forgot all about the errand and back to tell Winry and Pinako.

"Brother's going to be publicly executed!" he said as he burst the door.

They both froze when they heard him say that, but before they could say anything Al ran upstairs to his room.

"Al?"

Winry had followed him upstairs and found him packing his suitcase.

"I'm going to Central"

"Al they'll-

"I have to help brother! It's only fair, he's given up so much for me"

With that he closed his suit case and headed for the front door, but Winry grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

"I'm coming with you"

April 17th, 1918

Central, Amestris

Winry only was able to catch a glimpse of Ed, so she shoved through the crowd. Al wasn't with her, but she was sure he was somewhere in the crowd as well. He had barely said anything since they had left Resembool, and she was pretty sure why. How could they have set Ed's execution date on Al's birthday? She was sure they didn't know, but it was cruel enough as it was.

"**Edward!"**

She had made it to the front of the crowd and could see him clearly now. He looked up at her with his golden eyes that said "I'm sorry". She could feel tears in her eyes, but she tried her best to hold them back.

"I love you Winry"

They reached out to each other and their hands touched briefly before she was shove back and he was shoved forward. She watched as he was tied up on the platform, but not blindfolded.

"**READY!"**

He didn't face the soldiers or the crowd in front of him, he just gazed up at the sky.

"**AIM!"**

She closed her eyes tightly. She couldn't watch, she didn't want to see the one she loved be killed right in front of her.

"**FIRE!"**

She flinched and closed her eyes tighter as the tears began to run down her face.

"**BROTHER!"**

She gasped and opened her eyes when she heard Al's voice. Somehow he had gotten on the platform and was running towards his brother as the gun shots rang out.

Al had purposely gotten separated from Winry in the crowd. He had wormed his way up front quietly and got as close to the platform as he could. Of course there were soldiers all around the platform making sure nothing got out of hand, so he only got so far.

"**READY!"**

That was his cue.

"Sorry" he said quickly as he grabbed the two soldiers in front of him and banged their heads together knocking them out.

"**AIM!"**

Before the other soldiers close by could react he jumped onto the platform.

"**FIRE!"**

"**BROTHER!"**

Just as the gunshots rang out Al jumped in front of Ed saving his life, but used most of the stone inside him doing so.

"**AL!"**

Once Al had jumped in front of Ed a bit of a riot started in the crowd. leaving all the soldiers around with their hands full. Ed was able to clap his hands and deconstruct the ropes around him as he caught Al. The wounds regenerated slowly, then he woke up.

Winry watched in horror as she saw Al jump in front of Ed and get shot. Then the crowd started attacking all the soldiers. She saw Mustang run towards Ed who had gotten free and was helping Al up.

_How is he alive?!_

With the people around her starting a dangerous riot she decided to run and ask questions later considering she was in the middle of it all.

Once Mustang had gotten the brothers to his apartment safely and far away from the raging riot they all caught their breath as Mustang explained what happened.

"Once I got your message FullMetal I went to the assembly to arrest Dante, but she wasn't there. So I gave them the evidence about her and that all this was her doing"

"So are they looking for her now?"

"Actually they already found her"

"So where is she now?"

"Let me finish FullMetal. They found her corpse in her apartment"

Ed's eyes widened. Her body had finally caught up with her and she rotted to death.

"So what now?"

"Both of you will have to ask the assembly to answer that"

April 18th, 1918

Central, Amestris

Both Elrics sighed from relief as they exited the court room. They had gone to the assembly and told them what they didn't know. They told them about their mother's death and how it had led them to break the greatest taboo as children. They told them what they had lost, and how they had tried to get it back. Al told them what he was, but how it could and was going to be reversed. Once again they had been taken to court, and miraculously they had been let go, but on conditions that they had to follow. Then a moment later Mustang came out and handed Ed an important looking piece of paper.

"Here you go FullMetal"

Ed took it quietly and began reading it while Al read over his shoulder.

_We of the Amestrian assembly and Fuhrer President King Mustang formally pardon Colonel Edward Hoenheim Elric the FullMetal alchemist and Major Alphonse Matthew Elric the Living Soul alchemist of their crimes under the final condition that they remain in the military. _

Both of them sighed again as they finished reading, then they looked up at Mustang.

"'Fuhrer President King Mustang' eh?"

"They've decided that any group or individual in power is a bad idea so they made me Fuhrer, but I won't have all the power that Bradley had"

Ed nodded.

"It makes sense, but why do they want us to stay on a leash so much?"

"It's as you said, you're two dogs that have to be kept a close eye on, they want to make sure you don't break any more laws. Other than that you're free to go, but if anyone asks about it show them that paper"

Ed nodded again, but this time with a smile.

_Just hang on Al, I'll get you back to normal_

_**Author's Notes**_

Man for me this chapter was pretty long. I had a lot of trouble with it, so if it seems a little sucky to you please try and bear it, I had writer's block when I wrote and edited this. Just one chapter left, and I'm glad that you guys like this story. Once again the middle names are made up and aren't really based on anything in particular. Please keep reviewing ^_^


	10. X Human

_**X Human **_

April 17th, 1922

Resembool, Amestris

"You ready Al?"

Twenty three year old Edward Elric looked over at his now eighteen year old little brother. After they were let go a number of things happened: Ed had regrown out his long blonde hair and wore it in a pony tail daily while Al kept his short, but it had lightened up from time. They had also rebuilt their old house that they burned down years ago, and Ed now lived in it with his wife and childhood friend Winry who was pregnant with their second child. Al on the other hand had begun dating Mei Chang, an immigrant from Xing. Once he was human he was planning to propose to her, but with some time just to make sure they were both ready.

Since then the two brothers had begun to do research on any ways to make Al human again when Al had gotten an idea. So now here they were in what used to be their father's study, but was now their own. It had been here that they attempted human transmutation and Ed had bonded Al's soul to the armor, and now they were back once again. Ed had finished drawing a large transmutation circle on the floor in chalk and had de ja' vu as he checked it over to make sure it was all right. Al nodded to him and stepped him in the circle. Both of them took a deep breath and closed their eyes.

_Water, 35 liters, Ammonia, 4 liters, Phosphorous, 800 grams, Florine, 7.5 grams, Carbon, 20 kilograms, Lime, 1.5 kilograms, Sodium, 250 grams, Iron, 5 grams, and fifteen traces of other elements._

With those thoughts still in his mind Ed placed his hands on the circle. It would either work and turn Al into a human, or it would fail and Al would denigrate once the rest of the stone was used up. Still even knowing that he continued to focus. Energy flared around the room as he begun deconstructing his brother, but there were no signs of a possible rebound or Al in pain so that was a good sign. Soon it was to bright to see anything in the room, but once it all faded out Ed could see Al lying on the circle like he was asleep or passed out.

"**AL!"**

Did it work? Did he deconstruct him perfectly then use the last of the stone to bring him back as a human? He ran over to him and helped him up hoping that he wouldn't turn to dust the moment he touched him. Al groaned and sat up as Ed checked the back of his neck and smiled when he saw the mark was no longer there.

"Welcome back Al"

He wiped a tear off his eye and smiled.

"Brother..."

Al was smiling too. He was glad that whole mess was over, and he was glad to have all his memories back too.

_~FIN~_

_**Author's Notes**_

Well that it for this story. Sorry it was kind of short, but I did say it would be longer than Reunion, and it was. I hope you guys liked it, and tell me what you think of the ending. I was going to have Ed get his limbs back, but then I realized that it wouldn't fit his title anymore, and I like him with automail. Please review, and feel free to check out my other stories.


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